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Monthly Archives: August 2015

History bears witness to the value that chaos, in the form of diversity, can have. Happy accidents advance the sciences, diverse opinions and viewpoints enhance creativity, and biological diversity builds stronger ecosystems and living creatures. On the other hand, having some level of control, in the form of maintaining a healthy attitude, diet, and exercise, and managing both physical and emotional challenges, can increase our enjoyment of life and the joy of others in relationship with us.

History also bears witness to chaos in the form of war and natural disasters as significant sources of suffering and death. And history bears witness to how the quest for control and order can produce suffering and death. Oppression, enslavement, and death have been repeatedly imposed upon those who are considered different, outside the cultural norms of the “in group”.

In the beginning of Jewish Scripture, we are told that two entities existed – dark formless chaotic “earth”, and God. And God brought forth order from the chaos, in the form of light and darkness, heavens and earth, water, living creatures, and humans beings. From this beginning, the idea emerged that control and order were good and resulted in enjoyment of life, and that chaos was evil and resulted in suffering and death.

Perhaps ironically, Buddhist thought later emerged taking a somewhat opposite view of the causes of suffering and death. The Buddhist “Four Noble Truths” identify the desire for control as a source of suffering.

While their initial approaches to the problem of good and evil were different, Jewish and Buddhist views of good and evil were fairly consistent – good being supportive of joyful life, and evil being the source of suffering and death.

Contained within both approaches to the problem of good and evil were also the seeds for the opposite approaches. Within the Judeo Christian culture, surrendering control to a benevolent “Higher Power” is viewed as a valuable approach to addressing suffering, and the Eightfold Path of the Buddhist culture describes the self control required to “live a good and compassionate life”.

What can we do to increase our enjoyment of life, and increase the well being of others? Which approach should we take? Should we exercise control in the hope that others will recognize the value of control and learn from us? Or should we let go of all control and just let life happen, smelling the roses along the way and helping others when we get can?

This is one of those “false dichotomy” questions that can cause a lot of conflict and anxiety,within individuals and within communities and between neighbors. Different approaches to the problem of good and evil result in a great deal of chaos, conflict, and death. How ironic is it that by trying to exert control on ourselves and others, we can end up causing suffering for ourselves and others?

The nondual answer worth exploring to any “either or” question is “yes.” Look at the merits of both approaches. A balance of “letting go” and “self control” can indeed bring peace and joy to our lives and the lives of our loved ones, our neighbors, and even our enemies.

We tend to be programmed from an early age as to what the “right reaction” to suffering should be. Whether taking control or surrendering (fight or flight), we tend to react to extreme situations with extreme thoughts and behaviors. And whatever our natural reaction is, most of us can think of occasions where extreme reactions have produced even more suffering for ourselves and others.

The ability to react, to live, and to have relationships that are healthy and balanced, allowing for a reasonable amount of control and chaos, can require some training and practice. Meditation can be a very helpful in this regard. It is perhaps ironic that for some people “letting go” of a desire for control can be achieved through a controlled meditation practice. It is perhaps equally ironic that for others, practicing “letting go” of fears can help a person to cope better and have more self control.

With this in mind, we are happy to announce the opening phase 2 Christian Tantric Meditation classes covering “Self Emptying” practices on Saturday September 12th. The morning session will cover “Freeing the mind and heart of harmful desires and resentments”, and the afternoon session will cover “Freeing the Core of Fears and Opening Self to Bliss”. Please visit http://sunrisemeditation.org/workshops/ or call 678-358-8775 for more information.

Phase 1 Christian Tantric Meditation classes are also being opened on Saturday, September 26th. These classes introduce core concepts and exercises that are used throughout all four phases of the practice. These workshops introduce mindfulness, mind stabilization, and open consciousness practices. We also introduce practices that can reduce physical and emotional pain and enhance compassion for others in our phase 1 classes. Again, please visit http://sunrisemeditation.org/workshops/ or call 678-358-8775 for more information.

If you are interested in learning more about Christian Tantric Meditation, Atlanta area classes are being offered in the beautiful North Georgia Mountains. Registration is open now, visit our website for more information and to register on line. The book Christian Tantric Meditation Guide is also available through Amazon.com and local bookstores.

Jesus of Nazareth is respected worldwide as a prophet and teacher of universal love and peace. Often quoted by Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, and in the Quran, Jesus is respected by people of many faiths including Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Jewish people, and Humanists.

Christians believe that Jesus is God Incarnate, who came to earth in the flesh to share God’s message of unconditional love for all of humanity and creation.

A lot of time and effort and money is put into arguing about displaying the Jewish Ten Commandments in public places in the United States. What many people don’t realize is that Christian Scripture provides Commandments also. In Matt 5:19, Jesus introduces His commandments to His followers and the world.

As it turns out, Jesus’ “commandments” are also a prescription for healthy living, in Peace and Harmony with one’s self, others, in our families, in our communities, and World Wide. Many of these commandments are echoed in holy scriptures from other faiths as well. For anyone who desires #WorldPeace, these words that Jesus shares are a good place to start.

Many of these commandments are prefaced with “you have heard it said”, followed by “but I say [do this]”. This is how Jesus “fulfills the law” (Matt 5:17), by sharing the way that He believes the Jewish laws, the laws of His culture, should be interpreted. Using this as a guideline for reading through chapters 5, 6, and 7 of the Christian book of Matthew, 11 commandments emerge. These commandments are summarized below:

Matt 7:6-20Be careful whom you trust. Not everyone thinks and acts they way they present themselves to others.

Matt 7:21-27Be Trustworthy. Be a person who thinks, acts, and speaks with integrity and consistency.

These guidelines are more than prescriptions for health and happiness, they are also prescriptions for success. Think of people you know, people whom you have worked with, employers you have worked for, or people who have been in your employment. People who are kind, trustworthy, slow to anger and quick to forgive, generally make better employees, employers, better partners and spouses, and better human beings.

These guidelines are great, but they can also be very difficult to follow. As humans, we are filled with pain and resentments, and desires and fears, These desires, resentments, and fears often influence our thinking, our actions, our relationships, and our health. And the sources of these negative influences in our lives are often buried so deep we don’t even know they are within us, in our minds, hearts, and cores.

So what can we do to “let go” of these negative influences that hold us back, that keep us from being the “best we can be?” How can we do our part to promote peace, love, and understanding in the world?

We obviously need to let go of the burdens and fears that plague us. People of faith often say that “prayer is the answer”, which is true. One particular form of prayer that can be very effective is what I call a “listening prayer”, also known as Meditation. Meditation provides a method for listening to ourselves, to our “Higher Power”, and for “letting go” of things that hold us back.

Christian Tantric Meditation is specifically designed to help us to listen to ourselves and let go of the desires, resentments, and fears and burdens that hold us back. Along with letting go of burdens, Christian Tantric Meditation techniques are designed to help us grow closer to our Higher Power, and our own Divine nature, yielding self confidence. Our most advanced techniques help us to be more compassionate towards ourselves and others.

If you are interested in learning more about Christian Tantric Meditation, Atlanta area classes are being offered in the beautiful North Georgia Mountains. Registration is open now, visit our website for more information and to register on line. The book Christian Tantric Meditation Guide is also available through Amazon.com and local bookstores.

As a counselor, when I talk with people about meditation, it is often in therapeutic terms. Learning how to relax, letting go of burdens that hold us back, and living mindfully and in the moment can help a person to be resilient in the face of day to day stresses.

The process of self emptying not only allows us to let go of burdens and stresses, it also helps us to open a space within ourselves to receive Divine Energy that is beyond our 5 senses’ ability to perceive. In other words, self emptying meditation can increase our capacity for Spirituality. It’s often hard to see, hear, smell, taste, or feel anything with our five physical senses when we are burdened and stressed. When we have difficulty processing input from our physical senses our ability to perceive Spirituality is doubly impaired.

What is Spirituality? We often hear people say they are ‘Spiritual, not religious”, but what does that mean? For most people it means that we are in touch with something beyond ourselves, something that motivates, something that heals, something that inspires us to care for ourselves and for others. Jewish Scripture says God “breathed the breath of life into dust” (Gen 2:7) in creating humanity, in that sense Spirit is the breath energy that gives us life.

Spirituality can help “fill in the empty places” that are left behind when harmful thoughts or habits are challenged. Spirituality, connection with one’s inner strength and Higher Power, can help a person to move forward with a sense of fulfillment rather than emptiness and need.

Many people witness to “feeling the Spirit” as motivation for changing course when traveling, or in life. When they pay attention to this feeling, they find that they avoid major accidents or problems. In this sense, being “receptive to Spirit” can be part of maintaining one’s safety and well being.

“Divine Communion” meditation is used to help develop one’s sense of inner strength, and to invite one’s Higher Power to dwell within and be a part of our day to day lives. With a clear mind, open heart, and empty core that comes from “Self Emptying” practice, “Divine Communion” can help fulfill in a way that physical thoughts and activities and even relationships cannot.

With this in mind we are announcing the opening of our phase 2 classes covering “Self Emptying” practices on Saturday September 12th. The morning session will cover “Freeing the mind and heart of harmful desires and resentments”, and the afternoon session will cover “Freeing the Core of Fears and Opening Self to Bliss”. Eventually we we will begin opening phase 3 “Divine Communion” classes.

We are also opening additional phase 1 classes on August 22nd, which introduce foundational practices of mindfulness and open consciousness. If you have been thinking about attending and would like the opportunity to move forward quickly through phase 1 and then phase 2 on September 12th, now is the time to register. All classes are open for repeat attendance if participants want to refresh and share experiences with others, but phase 1 classes must be completed before participating in phase 2.

If you are interested in learning more about Christian Tantric Meditation, Atlanta area classes are being offered in the beautiful North Georgia Mountains. Registration is open now, visit our website for more information and to register on line. The book Christian Tantric Meditation Guide is also available through Amazon.com and local bookstores.

Its mid summer, and for those of us living in the southern United States, we can’t help but start to feel a little bit worn out. Looking in the garden, the beans and tomatoes, having produced abundantly in spite of the incessant stress of bugs and fungus, look tired. The heat and humidity are taking their toll on our moods as well. Although we are grateful for the cooling rains and lush greenery that comes with such a humid summer, we can’t help but look forward to how nice a cool autumn breeze would feel.

Like the struggling plants, we carry on our lives and our duties as we must, but the daily routines begin to feel a bit like drudgery. We may notice that our creative energy is reduced, and like the plants in the garden, the creative fruits we produce are less abundant and lush.

It was with these thoughts in mind I recently entered into meditation. I asked myself, what can I do to rejuvenate my sense of joy and creativity? As I practiced mind stabilizing breathing, I recognized a feeling that I hadn’t been aware of, sapping my energy – the feeling of guilt. I realized that I was feeling guilty for not getting up early enough in the morning, for not exercising enough, for not meditating as regularly as I would like, and for not finding time to be creative. In short, I was feeling guilty for suffering the side effects of feeling worn out.

Having recognized those feelings as part of my inner psyche, I moved into the self emptying phase of the practice with the intention of letting go of feelings of guilt. As I rested my consciousness in my mind Chakra, I let go of the desire to be perfect, to always be in control and to execute my daily disciplines flawlessly. With my mind cleared of that nagging guilt, I opened myself to the possibility of increased joy and freedom, which motivates creativity. As I rested my consciousness in my heart Chakra, I let go of the resentment had been building against myself for not being perfect, opening my heart to the possibility of love based inspiration. As I rested my consciousness in my core Chakra, I let go of the fear that my recent doldrums would be more than a temporary thing. With my core cleared, I made room for creative inspirations to take root, be nurtured and grow, until they would finally be ready to sustain a life of their own.

Finally, having cleared my mind, opened my heart, and emptied my core, I opened my entire being, allowing myself to be transparent and receptive to creativity in any form it might take.

This set the stage for the meditation stages that followed – Divine Communion and Compassion. The creative energy that had being blocked was allowed to flow, and I forgave myself for being human, and subject to the same forces in nature that affect the plants in the garden.

So the question this brings to the table is, what may be blocking your creativity? For me it was at least partially a feeling of guilt, but there are many other possible stressors as well. Relationship issues, fear of failure, fear of success, fear of criticism are just some of the feelings that can block creativity, and with it block joy, love, and self confidence.

Christian Tantric Meditation provides a method for recognizing and letting go of the thoughts and feelings that block creativity. As Whole Beings created in the Image of God, we have the ability to accept and let go of our stressors that hold us back, and accept and participate in the Creative Joy, Love, and Peace that the Spirit makes available to all of creation, every minute of every day.

If you are interested in learning more about Christian Tantric Meditation, Atlanta area classes are being offered in the beautiful North Georgia Mountains. There is one week left to register for our next set of classes on Saturday August 8th. Registration is open now, visit our website for more information and to register on line. The book Christian Tantric Meditation Guide is also available through Amazon.com and local bookstores.